33 Weeks!... and other updates

It's crazy how connected you start to feel to people through this crazy world of IF, even when you've never met them. Jes, one of my favorite blog buddies, found out this week that her FET of two embryos resulted in 'pregnant', but later later found out that that it was an empty sac. My heart seriously broke for her. Even Mr. D, who asks about some of the people who follow my blog, was sad for Jes and her DH. It's just not fair. I wish I knew her in real life so I could give her a big hug. Please stop over to her blog and offer her some love.

Also, another blog buddy, Rebecca, delivered Ian James this week. He was born early and is in the NICU. Stop by her blog to show them some love and support! Little Ian was due a week after me, so to see him born puts things personally into perspective for me... our little guy could be here at anytime, too. It's all in God's master plan :) I am so happy to see that little Ian is healthy... he is so precious!

And, stop by Alison's blog to offer congrats... she passed week 12 and heard the little bean's heartbeat at the Dr. office! Yay!

Let's see, what else? Busy week at work, which is nothing new. I can feel myself starting to slow down a bit... with everything. My brain is a little slower, I move a little slower, and I am more tired at night. All good signs, I guess, but mind-boggling that the reason is because we are getting closer and closer to this little guy joining our family.

Here's the weekly update:

Best Moment of the Week: Mr. D and I went to breastfeeding class, which was SUPER informative. If any of you ladies are expecting and even just want to learn more about nursing, I HIGHLY recommend taking a class. Ours was $25 and offered through our hospital - 2 hours that was totally worth it. I had a breast reduction in 2001, so I am not sure if breastfeeding will even physically work for me (my doctors have no idea either), but I am going to try and if it doesn't work, formula will be great, too. Either way, I am glad we learned about the breastfeeding process and what to expect. We also learned how to give a baby a bath in our 5th of 6 regular baby classes on Wednesday night - also very interesting. These simple tasks seem like no brainers, but the more I learn, the more I realize that taking care of him will be like nothing I've experienced before.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: When I began sharing with people that we are expecting, I would share my due date and would get comments like, "Oh, you have lots of time!" or "August is a long time away... you have a ton of time to get ready." Slowly but surely, those comments have changed into, "WOW - that's coming up! You have less than 2 months!" or "I hope you're ready... not much time left!" It's giving me a little bit of anxiety... not in a bad, nervous sense, but more from a perspective of 'holy-crap-you're-right-am-I-totally-ready?' He could literally be here anytime.

Obsessions: Getting the hospital bag ready and everything situated for what we need right away when we bring him home. The more I think about this, the more things get added to my Target list of stuff to buy.

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Baby Class #6 - our final one. We get to meet with a pediatrician this week, and I have a few questions - looking forward to "graduating" from class :)

My sister is also throwing me my first baby shower tomorrow - yay! Several family members were invited - many of which I haven't seen in at least a year. I am looking forward to it :)

What I Miss the Most: Nothing really.

Symptoms: Not being able to get fully comfortable while sleeping (although, I've learned that if I take a walk or wear myself out before bed, I hit the sheets exhausted and don't really realize that I'm not comfortable). My lower back sometimes aches at night, depending on how much sitting/standing I've done throughout the day. All in all, no symptoms to really complain about.

32 Weeks!

Crazy week! Time is absolutely FLYING, and I can't believe we are so dang close to having this baby. Each week flies by and seems more busy than the last.

I owe my blog a nice, long post, but for now, I wanted to get my 32 week update done. Here it is:

Best Moment of the Week: Getting ready for Fathers Day. I made Mr. D a list of "The Top Ten Reasons I Already Love My Dad" and framed it with pictures... so fun :) We finally get to be parents and celebrate these special days.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: Nothing I can think of this week.

Obsessions: My first shower is next weekend, so I am looking forward to that. We also have breastfeeding class to learn about the whole process... we have lots to learn. We also have a Dr. appointment this week - we are now on every-other week appointments to check in on little man... wow!

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Baby shower that my sister is throwing me for my family. I am excited!

What I Miss the Most: Sleeping comfortably. I wake up several times a night to readjust or get up to pee... uninterrupted sleep would be nice.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks, my lower back is starting to feel some pressure, and overall, I feel a bit more tired. Must be because of the extra weight I am carrying around.

Happy week, everyone!

31 Weeks!

Ahh, summer is finally here. We Minnesotans wait for this all year. It's the reason we bear through horribly cold, icy winters. Our seasons are gorgeous. And summer is definitely here. I love being able to wear flowing, cute sundresses with my continuing-to-expand belly. So fun :)

We had a wedding this weekend... more about that in a post this week. Mr. D was basically cornered by a guy we know to see what he would share about our journey getting pregnant. It's a post for another day - something I still need to wrap my head around, but the moral of the story is, once you struggle from infertility, you're a lifelong survivor. It's hard to hear the stories of others struggling through it. But although we've achieved a so-far-healthy-knock-on-wood pregnancy (and, God-willing, a happy, beautiful, healthy child), IF is still there. I'll post more later.

So, for my 31-week update....

Best Moment of the Week: Getting a tour of the hospital and labor & delivery area as part of Baby Class #3. I didn't think that we would really care one way or the other about the tour, but the moment we got up to the 2nd floor where labor & delivery is (called the Family Birth Center), I was in shock. Happy, smiling shock, but still shock that we were actually touring the place where our son will be born. Crazy. The hospital was built 2 years ago, so the amenities are beautiful and obviously very new. Mr. D said it looked like a Vegas lounge area at one of the fancy hotels, and I kind of agree. I am excited that we will be spending time in such a great place with a great staff of nurses and doctors.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: "So, if he were to arrive tomorrow, are you guys all ready?" Hell, no! You'd think that after trying to get pregnant for so long and awaiting this miracle for the time period we have, we would be completely set, just twiddling our thumbs and ready for me to go into labor. And I guess we are - mentally. But we still need a TON of stuff - and there's a few key decisions/to-do items to check of the list before little man arrives. We will be busy in the next few weeks :)

Obsessions: List making and getting ready for my showers :) My sister is throwing me a shower on 6/26, the first of several, and I can't wait!

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: We have a fun wedding coming up on Saturday, and it will be fun to see people we haven't seen since December (I was about 6 weeks pregnant).

Also, Mr. D and I get to take a tour of the hospital tomorrow night during Baby Class #3 - we are both looking forward to getting acquainted with everything :)

What I Miss the Most: Being able to see the tops of my thighs and my crotch. Hey, a girl's gotta shave, right?! It's impossible for me to see "down-there", so I've been strategically using a double sided mirror. It's doing the trick for now :)

Symptoms: Swelling went away for the most part (thanks to a 20 degree shift in temperature). Still having Braxton Hicks, but nothing worrysome. I am peeing more frequently due to the weight of little man on my bladder. Otherwise, I am pretty much symptom-free... I've been sleeping wonderfully (I think I am just really tired) and feeling amazing. I am praying that it lasts till the end!

30 Weeks!

What a milestone! We're so excited to be here at 30 weeks. The time has absolutely flown. Let me take that back... Weeks 4-12 were SUPER slow, weeks 12-16 were kind of slow, weeks 16-20 started to speed up, weeks 20-24 went pretty quickly, and I've barely remembered the past 6 weeks.

Only 10 weeks or less to go, and we have a TON of stuff to do. Here's my weekly rundown...

Best Moment of the Week: Hitting 30 weeks. It feels like we are running a triathlon, and finally arriving at the last event. From here on out, it's baby prep time... 3 baby showers, buying the last details, getting everything situated at work to take time away.

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: "You look so small for 30 weeks!" It's kind of a nice comment in a way, and a hurtful one in another way. On one hand, I know I am not a large, super-pregnant looking lady. I've took really good care of my body, gained maybe 10 pounds, and have a very long torso (my height is 5'7")... so, of course the baby is popping out, but not around my hips. I love how my baby is positioned on me. On the other hand, whenever I hear a comment to this effect, I wonder, "should I be bigger?" My Doctor says no, that I am on the right track and measuring/gaining perfectly. I should be able to lose the baby weight fast. So, I guess I'll take the words of my Doctor instead of random commenters.

Obsessions: Making lists. Mr. D and I have a "Baby Planning" meeting on Saturday morning at the local coffee shop to complete all of the to-do lists. I am pretty organized in nature, but preparing for a baby is kind of on a whole new level. We need to just sit down and dedicate a good hour to listing out everything so we can start executing the list items.

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Starting my Doctor appointments every two weeks for the next few weeks, and then moving to weekly appointments. It means we are getting closer! Also, I seem to have a lot of questions this time around, so I am looking forward to gaining some insight.

Also, Mr. D and I get to take a tour of the hospital tomorrow night during Baby Class #3 - we are both looking forward to getting acquainted with everything :)

What I Miss the Most: It was tough not to drink last weekend... our annual cabin weekend with friends. I ended up being designated driver, which I don't mind, but basically I was around 7 drunk people for the majority of the weekend.

Symptoms: Okay, so I can officially say that I've reached my first major, horrible pregnancy symptom (everything up until this point has been very mild and not a big deal)... SWELLING. We live in Minnesota, and we had a spike in temperature over the weekend from the mid-70s to the 100's. No lie, my car thermometer showed 105 degrees at 5 p.m. today (which means not only was it hotter around noon, but it also FELT way hotter). So, guess what comes with major heat and a pretty decent sunburn from being on the lake this past weekend? Swollen ankles, knees, and legs. Oh, yeah, and it's not pretty. I actually left work yesterday at 2 p.m. because I could no longer walk... my feet were ballooning out of my shoes. I called my Doctor, and I know it's a normal side effect of heat and my uterus getting heavier and pushing fluid down my legs, but HOLY CRAP. Talk about cankes. NOT PRETTY.

29 Weeks!

I am a couple days late with my weekly update... Mr. D and I were busy bees this weekend! We finished the nursery to the best of our abilities, which feels awesome. We are waiting on bedding, a rug, and our chair, but the walls are painted, furniture is in, and crib assembled. Every milestone reminds me how much closer we are getting to welcoming this little guy to the world, and it's mind-boggling. So much left to do, but we'll get it done.

Here's my 29 week update:

Best Moment of the Week: Starting baby classes. We have so much to learn, and it's nice that Mr. D and I have dedicated time as a couple for the next several weeks to sit down and focus on learning what we need to know.

Oh, and receiving our Pack & Play and some fun gifts from our registry in the mail! We've received a few gifts here and there, but we received a huge package on our front steps last week - gifts from my aunt & uncle. So fun!

Entertaining Question/Comment of the Week: "Are you sure you don't want to cloth diaper?" Oh, yes. Quite positive, actually. Women who decide to do it are no different than women who decide not to... totally a preferential thing in my opinion. But not only is it quite the process, but it's not a solution to waste in landfills... there are equally as many environmental reasons to NOT cloth diaper as other options. Totally a personal choice, and I don't think anything less (or more) of people who cloth diaper, but I know it's not for me.

Obsessions: Figuring out how the heck to lay at night in bed. It's impossible to get comfortable, but I'm not complaining. It's just awkward. I feel like I've tried everything. Overall, I am a pretty hard sleeper, so I am not really losing sleep by not being positioned comfortably, but it is kind of annoying.

Also, trying to figure out butt vs. head or foot vs. arm when little man moves around.

What I am Most Looking Forward to This Week: Baby Class #2, and taking Friday off work. Mr. D and I are headed to our annual cabin weekend with 3 other couples, and it is always a blast. Last year, I wrote two posts about our cabin weekend - it was interesting for me to reflect back to how I was feeling by reading this post and this post. It will certainly will be different this year being pregnant :) And, the weather is supposed to be AWESOME - sunny, hot, and high 80's.... bring on the sun!

What I Miss the Most: I know I will miss drinking this weekend... it's usually a weekend full of lots of beer and fun drinks. I am already stocked up on non-alcoholic sparking grape juice :)

Symptoms: Uncomfortable sleeping and starting to get slight back-aches in my lower back. Still nothing really to complain about... not sure I would complain anyway. Overall, I love being pregnant :)

Baby Classes

Mr. D and I started baby classes last night. Two-hour sessions for 6 consecutive Wednesdays.

The Pros? Well, our hospital is BEAUTIFUL. It was built a year-and-a-half ago, and it's gorgeous. Staff is AMAZING, and so is my Doctor. So, that's a plus. Our instructor is super nice, and we are in class with 10 other couples. The classes are intense - learning about everything from signs of labor, labor, delivery, breathing techniques, relaxation, newborn care, post-delivery care for mom, support help... you name it. The session cost $110, and judging from what we learned last night, that is definitely money well-spent.

Cons? Well, I am now completely stunned by the fact that I actually have to give birth. Mr. D keeps asking, "well, didn't you expect that you'd have to go into labor at some point?" Yes, but after seeing all the images I saw last night, visualizing how large my crotch is going to have to stretch, and giving it some thought, I am officially freaked. I know I posted that this is all out of my control, so why worry, right?

I need to get myself back to that spot... not worrying about what I can't control. It's going to hurt. A lot. But somehow, that baby has to come out, and although it won't be pleasant, I prefer it the natural way (with some help from drugs) and am going to fight like hell to make it happen The instructor showed us the "circle of pain" - basically, tension = fear = more pain, and the cycle continues. The key is to lower tension so that your body doesn't get scared and kick into thinking "oh-my-God-please-help-me-this-is-the-worst-pain-in-my-whole-life." Even though that may be true, the key is to keep your body from tensing up and getting scared.

Easier said than done. I have to learn how to talk myself out of getting tense.

I hope baby classes 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 teach me how.

Baby Craze... or, Should I Say, Craziness

Now, before I start this post, I want to put it out there that I am very excited that we are welcoming our first child, and I am doing everything I can do prepare myself mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for the transition to mommyhood.

But can I be honest? It's not ALL I think about. Sure, I am excited, but there's things I do other than focus 100% of my time and energy getting ready for this little guy. And, while I want to do what's best for my baby (who doesn't?), I am okay with not being uber-prepared and over-the-top with my baby knowledge. I am cool with learning as we go.

The reason I am saying this is because I continue to get advice from moms who have "been there, done that". Everything from baby bottles to carseats, burping techniques to baby lotions. And I never steer clear of the advice - I take it in stride, thank them for their thoughts, and choose whether or not I want to apply any of their recommendations.

But what really kills me is how incredibly stressful it must be for those women to be super-opinionated and informed about EVERYTHING that has to do with having a baby. There are seriously women who I think went a little baby-crazy and are over-informed. Isn't part of the journey learning as you go, and not being over-the-top with knowing EVERYTHING there is to know about having a baby and raising a child? I don't know... maybe I am blowing it out of proportion, but it's starting to have an effect on me.

Like today... I was asked by a co-worker (mother to a 4-month old) if I am planning to breastfeed. My response? I am not really sure yet - I am sure we'll figure it out soon. The look of utter shock and disappointment I received in return was priceless.

Another example... what kind of diapers are we going to use? My answer: probably Pampers... they came recommended by a couple people and it's between that or Huggies. The response: well, did you even research different brands or cloth diapering? My response: Pretty sure cloth diapering is not happening for many different reasons, and no, I haven't researched every brand out there. But I am sure he will be just fine in the diapers we choose.

Don't get me wrong. I know there is a TON to learn, and I am sure looking back in a year, I will know how I could have prepared myself more. But, isn't that what it's all about? Learning along the way, morphing to what your child needs? I am all for preparing for things in life, but I refuse to have baby craziness...